Poland sweeps Israel 3:0 to claim second European Volleyball Championship victory
Poland defeated Israel 25:16, 25:17, 25:18 in Sofia on Saturday to maintain a perfect start in Group B of the European Championship before Sunday's clash with North Macedonia.
Poland sweeps Israel in Sofia
The Polish men's national volleyball team recorded its second consecutive 3:0 victory at the Men's European Volleyball Championship, defeating Israel in Sofia on Saturday afternoon. The match concluded with set scores of 25:16, 25:17, and 25:18, ensuring that the defending European champions have yet to drop a set in the competition. Head coach Nikola Grbić directed a disciplined performance that prevented the Israeli team from establishing an advantage in any of the three frames. The victory followed Poland's opening 3:0 win against Portugal on Thursday in the Bulgarian capital. Israel entered the fixture seeking its first points of the tournament after opening its Group B campaign with a 1:3 defeat against Ukraine.
- Poland defeats Portugal 3:0 in the opening match
- Poland defeats Israel 3:0 in the second match
- Poland plays North Macedonia in the third group fixture
Squad contributions and set progression
Poland opened the match with a starting rotation comprising Szymon Jakubiszak, Marcin Komenda, Wilfredo Leon, Jakub Nowak, Kewin Sasak, Kamil Semeniuk, and libero Jakub Popiwczak. In the first set, Sasak collected five points and Semeniuk scored six points to establish an early lead and close out a 25:16 win. Poland adjusted its distribution to the middle attack in the second set, where Jakubiszak generated six points while Semeniuk added five more points to secure the 25:17 result. After Leon was rested in the third set, Aleksander Śliwka took over on the wing and produced six points to finish the match 25:18. Coach Grbić also utilized Bartłomiej Bołądź, Jan Firlej, Tomasz Fornal, Artur Szalpuk, and second libero Maksymilian Granieczny from the bench.
- Set 1
- 16 points
- Set 2
- 17 points
- Set 3
- 18 points
Israel performance and roster depth
Israel entered the match with a starting unit featuring Noam Ariel, Viacheslav Batchkala, Iliya Goldrin, Ilay Haver, Shay Liberman, Nikita Maron, and libero Omri Roitman. The Israeli squad received additional court time from substitutes Omri Alon, Yuval Chansky, Dovydas Grybauskas, Lior Kopilevich, Itamar Peleg, and second libero Eran Halachmi. Prior to the match, Israel occupied 28th place in the world rankings, placing them as the second-lowest ranked team competing in Group B. Earlier in the season, the team posted six consecutive victories during the preliminary phase of the European League before being eliminated by the Netherlands in two semi-final matches. Against Poland's block and attacking pressure, Israel managed a maximum of 18 points in any single set.
Group B standings and tournament schedule
The 2026 European Championship is co-hosted by four countries, with matches taking place across Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, and Italy. Poland will play its entire preliminary group schedule and any knockout fixtures through the quarterfinal round at the arena in Sofia, before the medal matches shift to Milan. The Polish team entered this tournament holding both the European title and the Nations League crown, mirroring their exact success pattern from three years ago. Saturday's other Group B fixture in Sofia matches co-hosts Bulgaria against Ukraine. Poland returns to the court on Sunday for its third group match, taking on North Macedonia.
